Herman Cain says he was joking about Anita Hill

GOP presidential hopeful Herman Cain says he was just joking when he made a reference to Anita Hill at a Michigan campaign event.

Fox News reported that Cain was asked by a supporter if he had heard "the latest news" about Hill, who accused Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment. "Is she going to endorse me?" Cain asked, amid hearty laughter that could be heard on the Fox video.

"He said it in a humorous way, I gave back a humorous response," Cain said Friday when he called in to Fred Dicker's radio show in Albany, N.Y. "It was no way intended to be an insult to Anita Hill or anybody else."

Earlier this week, Hill declined to comment about the allegations of sexual harassment against Cain. But she said at Time magazine's Person of the Year luncheon that discussions about sexual harassment have "evolved" and "it's not just simply the sort of discussion of he said/she said."

Cain has been under fire for days over allegations of sexual harassment while he was at the National Restaurant Association. He has repeatedly denied the charges, calling them "baseless."

The candidate told Dicker that he is being "flyspecked," in which every word he says is scrutinized.

Cain also caught flak this week for referring to House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi as "Princess Nancy" during the Republican debate Wednesday night. He apologized that night, then seemed to step back from it a little the next day.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, told CBS News she was "very much bothered" by the Pelosi remark.

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About Catalina Camia

Catalina Camia leads the OnPolitics online community and has been at USA TODAY since 2005. She has been a reporter or editor covering politics and Congress for two decades, including stints at The Dallas Morning News and Congressional Quarterly. Follow her at @USATOnPolitics.